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Susan Kwon
|name = Susan Kwon |honorific-suffix = MP |image = Susan Kwon.png |imagesize = 220 |smallimage = |caption = Kwon in 2014 |order = Leader of the Social Democrats |term_start = December 10, 2017 |predecessor = Marcel Guillory |successor = |term_end = |order2 = Social Democrats Spokesperson for Commerce and Labor |term_start2 = September 19, 2013 |term_end2 = December 10, 2017 |leader2 = Steve Sanders (2013) Marcel Guillory (2014–2015) |predecessor2 = Daniel Dagger |successor2 = Christian Ball |order3 = Member of the K.S. House of Commons for Tenderloin (San Francisco's 2nd District) |predecessor3 = Alan Deng |term_start3 = March 19, 2008 |term_end3 = |order4 = Member of the San Francisco City Board of Supervisors from District 6 |term_start4 = June 1, 2004 |term_end4 = March 19, 2008 |predecessor4 = Nick Sugiyama |successor4 = Brianne Liu |cabinet = |birth_date = |birth_place = Sarangnha, Orange, KS |death_date = |death_place = |resting_place = |constituency = |party = Social Democrats |rhouse = |spouse = |multiple_spouses = |children = |alma mater = yes |alma_mater = ( ) University of Sierra, Berkeley School of Law |profession = Lawyer |religion = |nickname = |signature = |blank1 = |data1 = | rr = Gwon Mi-seon | mr = Kwŏn Misŏn}} }} Susan Misun Kwon (born October 10, 1977) is a Sierran politician serving as Leader of the Social Democrats since 2017. Kwon has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for San Francisco's 2nd parliamentary district, which is commonly known as , since 2008. She has previously served as the Social Democrats Spokesperson for Commerce and Labor under the premiership of Steven Hong and began her political career as a member of San Francisco City's Board of Supervisors in 2006. A self-described " ", she has represented a leftward push within the Social Democrats with a platform. Born and raised in Sarangnha, Orange, Kwon attended and graduated and earned a law degree from the University of Sierra, Berkeley School of Law, before she began her career as a civil rights attorney and social activist. Kwon entered political office when she was elected as a member of San Francisco City Board of Supervisors, running as a Social Democrat, in 2006. She became the youngest individual to be elected and hold office in the city government. She was elected as a Member of Parliament for Tenderloin and later became the Social Democrats Spokesperson for Commerce and Labor, serving effectively as the de facto Shadow Minister of Commerce and Labor under the Second Hong Government. In 2015, Kwon announced her candidacy for the leadership of the Social Democrats following the resignation of Marcel Guillory. Positioning herself as a committed, principled and a fighter for , Kwon rose in popularity as a favorite quickly during the race, and won with over 65% of the votes in the election. She was critical of the Social Democrats' leadership for what she perceived as compromising social democratic values for neoliberal values shared by the Democratic-Republican establishment. During her first months as leader, Kwon adopted a more hardline approach towards the party's left-leaning policies and roots, and started the "Forwarding the Movement" initiative, which encouraged progressive Democratic-Republicans to defect to the Social Democrats, which was at odds with the previous Democratic-Republican–Social Democrats' mutual agreement for cooperation and preservation of the Progressives' . Her campaign received mixed reactions, with some describing the move as a "schismatic event" for the Sierran left and liberals. She has been referred to as "Comrade Kwon" by allies and opponents alike. Early life Susan Misun Kwon was born on October 10, 1977 in the Korean District section of Sarangnha, Orange. Her father, Kwon Chul-woo was born on September 9, 1955 in , Korea and immigrated to Orange in 1971 with his family as a teenager. Kwon's mother, Kwon ( Choi) Young-kyo, was born in , Korea, and immigrated to the Gold Coast with her uncle's family in 1973. Kwon's parents met while attending a Korean cultural program in Sarangnha in 1975 and married in 1976. Kwon has one younger sister, Chloe, four years her junior. Kwon was educated at Ernest O. Lawrence Elementary School and was school friends with future Sierran K-pop artist Emma Chae. She grew up learning both English and Korean, and took classes, eventually earning a . She later enrolled in Alamitos Intermediate School and then . Kwon also practiced the and played on the girls' volleyball team in middle school and high school. She was introduced to politics by her history teacher during her sophomore year and got involved in the school newspaper as a writer. Kwon later joined her school's Mock Trial where she and her team reached the national semifinals. She became active with the Young Socialists, her local Social Democrats Party chapter (then called the Social Democratic Party), and the Students Against Western Imperialism (SAWI). Kwon initially aspired to become a teacher but decided to pursue law instead after being convinced by her civics teacher. Kwon graduated from Bolsa Grande with the highest honors as one of the salutatorians and received a fully paid scholarship to attend as an undergraduate student. She graduated from the university as a double major with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics. Kwon moved to San Francisco City and enrolled in the University of Sierra, Berkeley School of Law in 2005. She chaired the Young Social Democrats chapter on campus and interned for the Supreme Court of San Francisco during her studies. She graduated with a law degree and was admitted into the Bar Association of San Francisco in 2008. Early career and political activities While she was attending the University of Sierra, Berkeley, Kwon worked as a social worker for the Give Back to the People grassroots advocacy organization. She also organized and led an all-volunteer task force of Chinatown youth to clean up trash and beautify Tenderloin District. She became a spokesperson for the local Asian Sierran community and engineered a number of rallies and demonstrations to protest against rising rental costs in the city aggravated by . On one occasion, she was arrested by police for disorderly conduct during a protest against a zoning initiative and spent a night at the South of Market Detention Center before the police dropped charges. Kwon made her first televised appearance as a professional when she testified before the San Francisco City Board of Supervisors, imploring them to reject plans to convert certain sections of into pedestrian zone sidewalks, in June 2005. Her testimony received local media attention due to her fiery condemnation of the city government, criticizing them for their insensitivity to community issues and concerns. She received backing by members of the local Social Democrats, the Greens, and independents to run against the Democratic-Republican leadership in the upcoming 2006 Board of Supervisors elections. Kwon defeated Democratic-Republican incumbent Peter Ross and became a member of the Board of Supervisors. Her noteworthy election attracted widespread attention and elicited thousands of invitations to Kwon to give speech on her success. Kwon ended her active involvement in her previous advocacy groups in order to concentrate on her responsibilities as a board member and a law student. Nonetheless, she continued maintaining professional contact with the Social Democrats, and occasionally attended local chapter meetings. As a board member, she raised funding necessary to improve living conditions in the older sections of the Tenderloin District, and increased accountability for neighborhood watch volunteers. She resisted plans from the provincial government to reduce funding for the city's education, claiming that it was "ridiculous" to cut funding to where over 90% of San Francisco's population lived in the city. In addition to her official capacity as supervisor, Kwon worked part-time in private practice as an attorney under the helm of the Association of Civil Rights Attorneys (ACRA) on pro bono cases in the Bay Area region. She attracted some controversy when she named Sierran Civil War general Isaiah Landon and Sierran Marxist activist Elliot Keller as inspirational figures who had influenced her political views and motivations at an open forum meeting. Notable legislation Kwon spearheaded during her tenure as supervisor included successfully initiating free community college education for San Francisco City residents and raising the minimum wage to $14 from $12. She also voted in favor of lifting an ordinance that prohibited the homeless from loitering in certain areas during daylight hours, which she described as discriminatory and humiliating. Kwon also campaigned for a measure that supported banning of single-use plastic bags in the city, a measure which was later passed provincial-wide in a 2010 referendum. Parliamentary backbencher (2008–13) In 2007, Kwon announced her intention to run for San Francisco's 2nd seat in the House of Commons, as a Social Democrat, to replace outgoing fellow Social Democrat MP Alan Deng, who was retiring. As a community favorite, she ran a largely uncontested election as her district was considered a strong Social Democrat-Democratic-Republican constituency and both parties had entered into a local agreement to not field opposing candidates in the region. During the campaign, she received support from a number of prominent politicians including San Francisco Governor Terry Scott and Social Democrat Leader Felix Hunt. She campaigned on a very progressive platform, stressing her commitment towards advancing social justice and economic equality. Kwon acknowledged the traditional values of the predominantly insulated Asian Sierran community in the district and emphasized her desire to elevate and draw attention to their concerns, who had been "overlooked". Shortly after winning election, she became a columnist on the San Francisco City Chronicle, sharing her thoughts on national politics, especially on foreign policy and fiscal policy. Kwon garnered attention and controversy over her fiery and passionate presentation in the House floor. During an appearance on RBS' Sunday Evening Dateline, Royalist MP Ryan Bannon criticized Kwon and stated that he had filed a complaint to the House Ethics Committee, claiming Kwon's conduct and decorum was "unruly, disrespectful, and ignorant to common parliamentary procedure". Kwon responded to such criticism the following day of the broadcast by saying, "Maybe if politicians worried more about real issues such as fellow citizens than arbitrary rules, I wouldn't come off as so abrasive to these people". Committee assignments (2008–13) While in the House of Commons as a backbencher, Kwon sat in the following committees: *'Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Family **Subcommittee on Health and Medical Services **Subcommittee on Employment Opportunity, Workplace Safety, and Standards **Subcommittee on Labor Rights and Unions *'Committee on Judiciary''' **Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights **Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, Human Rights, and Property Rights Links with the Sierran Liberation Army and other republican groups Kwon's relationship with members of the Sierran Liberation Army (SLA) drew noticeable attention after she admitted to attending their meetings, including during her tenure on the San Francisco City Board of Supervisors, and expressed sympathy to their causes. The SLA were particularly active during The Disturbances and were once designated as a far-left terrorist organization by the Sierran government. Although the SLA and Sierran government eventually brokered peace at the end of The Disturbances, tensions between the group and government persisted into the 21st century. Kwon wanted to maintain dialogue between the SLA and local governments, and invited formerly convicted SLA leader and known NIC holdout Liam Evans to Parliament to voice the grievances of the SLA. She also protested against the trial of Patrick McGovern, who was convicted of murdering four people in the bombing of a Jacobite clubhouse, stating she "stood in solidarity with innocent people wrongly accused simply due to association". Her involvement and support for the SLA and other republican groups elicited protests and criticism from Jacobite and monarchist associations throughout the Styxie. She stated she received death threats from online communities, and experienced heckling at some of her public appearances by pro-monarchist groups. Kwon stated that she was seeking dialogue, not division, and that she had "utmost respect" for the Sierran Jacobite community. The RIA opened a file on Kwon in 2010 due to concerns of national security. The Porciúncula Police Department and other law enforcement agencies also independently monitored Kwon's activities due to similar concerns, and investigated her links with SLA chapters. During the investigations, which lasted for five years, Kwon was involved in 37 incidents connected to the SLA, namely through her presence at their official meetings or informal interactions with known members. Banking records also revealed that Kwon made a number of financial donations to the Sierran Liberation Army, the United Farmers' Front, and Antimo, with her largest contribution being $10,000 to SLA respectively. The investigations were eventually dropped in 2015 while Kwon became a Social Democrats frontbencher, with none of the investigating parties able to find any conclusive evidence to suggest Kwon engaged in terrorist or subversive activities. Kwon has stated that she was "not surprised" when she discovered she was being monitored by federal and local law enforcement, but insisted she harbored no "ill-will" towards, "understood their concerns", and used the reports to assuage opponents' fears that she was participating in illegal activities. Parliamentary frontbencher (2013–17) Kwon was selected as the Social Democrats candidate for San Francisco's 2nd parliamentary district, Tenderloin, in the 2012 general elections, where she secured over 90% of the constituency's votes and was reelected into the seat. She was elected as the Social Democrats Spokesperson for Commerce and Labor in 2013 by her peers, effectively becoming a member of the Social Democrats' Shadow Cabinet and thus, a frontbencher MP. She was chosen as the keynote speaker for the 2013 Social Democrats Party Conference. Her keynote address delivered the party's vision and agenda moving forward, as well as lamentation of the disconnect between the Sierran working class and the urban left. She urged the party to reject compromising its values by opposing and strengthen , arguing that the "frontline is always in the House". She co-sponsored the 2014 Sierran Infrastructure and Transportation Improvement Act (SITAA), a $70 billion national project endeavor which set out to improve Sierran public transportation, whilst providing incentives to citizens who reduced their dependence on traditional modes of transport (namely diesel automobiles) in favor of public transport or alternative fuel vehicles. Kwon was one of the key architects behind the bill's provisions and appropriations, and was accused of a disproportionately large amount of the discretionary spending towards her district and province in comparison to the other regions. Kwon was one of the principal authors behind reworking Sierra's public health system through the National Health Care Provider Fairness and Accessibility Act, which worked to regulate private insurer rates, lower wait times for surgeries and medical emergencies, and standardize a set of common guidelines across the provincial health care systems. She voted in favor of a number of other healthcare-related proposals, and opposed defunding programs poised by the Royalists during the McComb Ministry. During her time as a frontbencher, Kwon joined a number of trade union groups and received sponsorships from a number of labor organizations including the National Teachers Association, the National Correctional Peace Officers Association, the National Union of Health Care Workers, and the Industrialists and General Workers' Union. She also chaired the Parliamentary Caucus on International Workers' Rights and the Parliamentary Caucus on Preventing Human Trafficking. Throughout her status as a frontbencher, Kwon maintained a strong presence with the media and made over 71 appearances across a variety of media including news panels, late night talk shows, Hollywood shows, and radio interviews. She was widely called the social media face of the Social Democrats, due to her heavy use of the Internet to connect with voters on a number of websites including , , and . Committee assignments (2013–present) As a frontbencher, Kwon has sat on the following committees: *''Committee on Appropriations'' **''Subcommittee on Commerce, Culture, Labor, and Transportation'' (chair) **Subcommittee on Education, Health, and Human Services *''Committee on Finance, Monetary Policy, and Community Development'' **Subcommittee on Community Development and Transportation **''Subcommittee on Insurance, Investment, and Securities'' **Subcommittee on Taxation **''Subcommittee on Social Welfare Programs and Policies'' *''Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Family'' **''Subcommittee on Labor Rights and Unions'' (chair) Italics indicate current assignment Leader of the Social Democrats of Sierra (2017–present) Leadership election On November 18, 2017, Social Democrats Leader Marcel Guillory, MP for the Gold Coast's 36th parliamentary district (North Central Grands Ballons) announced his intention to retire, citing his advancing age and health complications, which were preventing him from carrying out partisan functions in his view. Following this announcement, media speculation immediately concluded that Kwon would be one of the candidates running in the election. Within hours of Guillory's announcement, Kwon confirmed her intention to run for the party leadership role, formally announcing her electoral campaign the next day at a press conference outside her office at the Parliament Building. Kwon ran on a platform based on "empowering and maintaining Sierra's labor movement" and centered her attention towards healthcare, welfare, and education, which she described were essential to functioning democracies. She also vowed to rebuff the Royalist leadership for failing to hold a new general election following the resignation of Prime Minister Daniel McComb, who became publicly disgraced in light of sexual abuse allegations. Kwon criticized what she perceived as complicity among the Democratic-Republican leadership, composed of what she described were primarily of centrists and Third Way politicians. She urged the "Sierran left to unite" and the Social Democrats to stay true to its revolutionary style of politics and agenda. Her announcement quickly received a number of endorsements from fellow House colleagues including Terry Scott, former governor of San Francisco and former candidate for the Senate. She received the second highest number of nominations in the race from fellow members of the Social Democrats. Nonetheless, her comments regarding the Democratic-Republicans, her age, and history of defying party line votes drew concern among some party leaders, including party leader Marcel Guillory himself. Kwon became the frontrunner early on in their election, with her polling 5% ahead her closest opponent, Shadow Treasury Minister Nathan Cobain. Within three weeks of the race, Cobain dropped out of the race after polls showed Kwon had gained a comfortable lead against him. Cobain proceeded to endorse Kwon, effectively ending the race and securing Kwon the leadership of the Social Democrats. Kwon formally assumed the leadership role on December 10, 2017. Within days of her election, her electoral campaign team had been converted into her official party leadership office. Kwon and her team began actively searching for possible candidates to fill up the Social Democrats Shadow Cabinet. Forwarding the Movement Kwon made her first official speech as Social Democrats Leader on December 16, 2017, outlining her goals and plans for the party. She introduced "Forwarding the Movement", a new policy where the Social Democrats would adopt a more hardline approach to economic and social policies, including a refusal to compromise with the Royalists and other parties in the Conservative bloc. Kwon declared, "The time for appeasement at the expense of the working class is over," and called for the same air of skepticism to be directed towards the Democratic-Republicans. Her speech drew considerable ire from moderate Social Democrats and Democratic-Republicans, and even leftist outlets worried that Kwon's vision would only further fragment the divided Sierran left. In the preliminary polls for the 2018 special elections on May 1, Kwon and her party received an aggregated average of 29% across five different national polls by respondents who were asked which party they were likely to vote for during the elections scheduled on May 10, 2018. These figures are significantly higher compared to the 2016 general election results, when the Social Democrats only received 6% of the House's seats and 19% of the popular vote. Kwon remarked that the figures were "very significant and telling" on the shifting political perspective in the Sierran public, especially for the left. The polls coincided with rising disapproval rates with both the governing party of the Royalists and the main opposition party of the Democratic-Republicans. Political views and positions Abortion Kwon supports s and opposes any measure to defund the Family Planning program or restrict legal forms of abortion. She has received a consistent, perfect 100% from the National Reproduction Rights Advocacy Network and a 0% from the Sierran National Right to Life Organization. She believes that abortion is an "inviolable, fundamental right for women" and that it should be "affordable and accessible" to all those who wishes to undergo one. She has voted in favor of federal funding for and has expressed strong opposition to House Royalists' measures to remove abortion coverage from national health insurance plans. Civil rights Kwon spent her early career as a racial justice activist and civil rights organizer. She claimed her greatest achievement was "shifting national attention back to the fundamental issues that working-class Sierrans, the poor, blacks, Latinos, Amerindians, Asian immigrants, the disabled, the LGBTQ community, and the elderly endure on an everyday basis". During a 2006 interview with an independent radio talk show on JRC, she has criticized the Sierran Cultural Revolution for "white-washing Asian culture" while sidelining Sierra's other racial minorities, and "not going enough to achieve racial harmony". Since then, she has reiterated "the Revolution did bring positive changes, but a lot of work still needs to be done to address racism and racial issues". Drugs Education Environment Financial reform Foreign policy Gun rights Healthcare LGBT rights Monarchy Welfare Views on CAS Personal life Kwon lives in Union Square, San Francisco City, and has never married or had children, leading to speculation about her sexual orientation. In 2013, Kwon has stated that her work made it "very difficult to devote energy to romantic relationships". Since 2014, she has since been in a relationship with Johnnie Le, her former law professor at the University of Sierra, Berkeley, 7 years her senior. Her relationship with Le received media attention as it was discovered Le was a married man with two children, and maintained an affair with Kwon for six months before Le divorced his wife. Kwon has refused to comment on the personal situation although Le and his former spouse have insisted the divorce "had nothing to do" with Le and Kwon's relationship. Electoral history Awards and recognition See also *Parliament of Sierra Category:Kingdom of Sierra Category:San Francisco Category:Politicians of Sierra Category:Sierrans Category:Social Democrats of Sierra